Signalling device



1965 A. N. VERRIER 3,199,546

SIGNALLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 19, 1965 FIG. I

26 29 84 as 62 7o 42 40 a4 INVENTOR. ARTHUR N. VERRIER ATORNEY UnitedStates Patent 3,199,546 SIGNALLENG DEVICE Arthur N. Vernier, WarwickNeck, RL, assignor to Leesona Corporation, Warwick, 11.1., a corporationof Massachusetts Filed Sept. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 309,983 3 Claims. (Cl.139-336.4)

The present invention relates to a device for use with looms and moreparticularly relates to such a device which is adapted to give a signalor stop the loom depending on the level to which the bobbins in thelooms magazine have been depleted.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device for use withthe magazine of a loom which will actuate a signal when the bobbins insaid magazine have been depleted a predetermined amount.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for usewith the magazine of a loom which will stop the loom when the bobbins insaid magazine have been depleted to a predetermined amount.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for usewith the magazine of a loom which will actuate a signal when the supplyof bobbins in the magazine have been depleted to a first predeterminedamount and which will cause the loom to stop when said bobbins have beendepleted to a second predetermined amount.

These and various other objects and features or" the invention will bemore clearly understood from areading of the detailed description of theinvention in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a loom equipped with thepresent invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line IIII and looking in thedirection of the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View showing the loom stopping bladeof FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the loom stoppingmechanism, and

FIGURE 5 is a schematic Wiring diagram of the present invention.

The present invention is primarily for use with looms of the typeequipped with a so-called mechanical warp stop mechanism which isadapted to stop the operation of the loom by mechanical means, asopposed to closing an electrical circuit, in the event one of the warpyarns breaks. Many such looms are equipped with vertical magazinesadapted to hold a stack of wound bobbins ready for insertion into theloom shuttle by the looms bobbin changing mechanism. Such magazines canbe manually loaded by loom attendants or the loom can be equipped withan automatic winding machine of the type disclosed in US. Patent2,763,443 to W. V. Goodhue et al., which will automatically wind fillingbobbins and place them in the magazine. Regardless of the manner inwhich the magazine is filled it is highly desirable that an adequatesupply of bobbins always be maintained in the magazine. To this end, thepresent invention provides two switches associated with the magazineboth of which are held open by bobbins when the magazine is completelyfull. One of these switches is located adjacent the upper portion of themagazine and when it is permitted to close, due to the supply of bobbinsbeing depleted a predetermined amount, it closes the circuit to a signallight which will indicate to the loom attendant that the bobbins arebelow a desired level. In the event the situation is not corrected andthe supply of bobbins continues to be depleted a second switch willclose when a second predetermined level is reached to close the circuitto a solenoid which inserts a blade into the loom stopping mechanismcausing the loom to stop. Inasmuch as the loom upon which "ice that thelowermost ibobbin carried thereby will be in position to be insertedinto the loom shuttle, not shown, by the loom hammer 28. Bobbin magazine26 includes a channeled shaped main support member having upper andlower flanges 29, 31 respectively connected by an up standing wall 36 towhich are fixed a pair of bobbin tip.

guiding rails 32 and a pair of bobbin butt guide rails 34. All of theabove is old and is set forth in only so much detail as is necessary toa complete understanding of the invention.

A horizontal bar 4!? has one end fixed to the bracket 16 and extends outparallel to, but forwardly of, bobbins B in magazine 26. A normallyclosed switch 42 is fixed to bar 4% so as to be positioned in front ofmagazine 26 with its depending pivoted actuating finger 44 positioned tobe engaged by the two uppermost bobbins B, when a sufficient number ofbobbins'are in the magazine, to pivot said finger to open the contactsof switch 42.

A hole 46 is formed in upstanding wall 30 adjacent the lower end ofmagazine 26 and a lever 48 extends therethrough and is pivoted at itsmidpoint on said wall. The left-hand end of lever 48 is so positionedthat it will be engaged by the next to the bottom bobbin in saidmagazine and held with its right-hand end elevated. A depending contactelement Sills fixed to the right-hand end of lever 48 and arranged toengage electrical terminal 52 when the lever 48 is permitted to fall.Terminal 52 is secured to, but insulated electrically from, lower flange31.

A signal light 58 is fixed to loom arch 18 and carries a transformer 69Within its housing. A box 62 is mounted in a rearward extension on loomframe 10 so as to be over cooperating toothed bars 64, 66 and 68 whichcomprise well known means for stopping the loom in the event a warp yarnbreaks. A solenoid 70 is mounted in box 62 and has its plunger 72connected to one end of pivoted lever '74. The other end of lever 74 hasa depending wire 76 pivoted thereto and extending downwardly through asuitable opening formed in the bottom of box 62. Blade member 78,preferably made from sheet metal, is susended from the lower end of wire76 so that the three toothed bars 64, 66 and 68 of the loom stop motionpass through the opening 89 formed in said blade. High voltageelectrical power is supplied to the primary of transformer 6% throughthe two wire cable 82. One side of the secondary winding of transformer60 is grounded to the housing of light 58 and through said housing tothe frame of the loom. The second side of said secondary is connectedthrough light 58 to one terminal of switch 42 by means of the wire 84.The second terminal of switch 42 is grounded to the loom frame. Thesecond side of the transformer secondary is also connected to one sideof solenoid 70 by the wire 86 and the other side of said solenoid isconnected to the terminal 52 by the wire 88. Lever 48 and contact 5%)are grounded to the loom frame through bobbin magazine 26.

The above described apparatus operates in the following manner. Whenmagazine 26 is full of bobbins B, contact of said bobbins with finger 44holds switch 42 open so that signal light 53 is not lit and at the sametime bobbins hold lever 48 raised so that solenoid 70 is not energizedand its arm 72 is therefore extended. At such time as two bobbins havebeen withdrawn from the magazine without being replaced finger 44 willswing in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 to closeswitch 42 whereupon light 58 will be energized indicating the need fortimely bobbin replenishment. As bobbins continue to be used from saidmagazine without replenishment, when all but one have been removed fromthe magazine lever 43 will be permitted to fall thus closing theelectrical circuit to solenoid 76]. Upon being energized solenoid 7%draws its plunger 72 upwardly pivoting lever '74 in a counterclockwisedirection to thrust blade 78 downwardly between the notches in the bars64, 66 and 63. It will be understood that in normal loom operationmiddle bar 6% is reciprocated back and forth and that upon being stoppedit operates to stop the operation of the loom all in a manner old andWell known in the art. When blade '73 is inserted between the teeth ofsaid three bars by the action of solenoid 70 reciprocation of bar 66 isstopped to thereby stop the loom and the loom will remain stopped andinoperative until such time as a supply of bobbins has been placed inmagazine 26 to once again lift lever 48 to break the circuit to solenoid70 whereupon blade 78 is raised to free bar 66. In the same manner light53 will remain lit until such time as a sutficient number of bobbinshave been placed on the magazine to once again pivot finger 44 in acounterclockwise direction to open the circuit to said light 58.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention herein involved, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense. i

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom having a mechanical stop motion means comprising aplurality of toothed ,bars one of which reciprocates relative to anotheroperative to stop said loom when said relative reciprocation is stoppedand a bobbin changing mechanism including a vertically arranged magazine for holding a supply of reserve bobbins, the combinationtherewith of a source of electrical power, a solenoid, a bladepositioned adjacent said bars and connected to said solenoid wherebysaid solenoid when energized moves said blade between the teeth on saidbars to stop the relative reciprocation thereof, said solenoid whendeenergized being operable to remove said blade from said teeth, andmeans in the path of travel of bobbins in said magazine for completingan electrical circuit from said source of power to said solenoid whenthe supply of bobbins in said magazine is depleted to a predeterminedamount.

2. A loom having a mechanical stop motion means including at least onereciprocating bar and a blade engageable therewith to stop said loom anda bobbin changing mechanism including a vertically arranged magazine forholding a supply of reserve bobbins, the combination therewith of asource of electrical power, electrically energized signalling means,electrically energized operating rcans for actuating said stop motionmeans, and means in the path of travel of bobbins in said magazine forcompleting an electrical circuitfrom said source of power to saidsignalling means when the supply of bobbins in said magazine is depletedto a first predetermined amount and for completing a circuit from saidsource of power to said electrically energized operating means when saidsupply of bobbins is depleted to a second predetermined amount, saidoperating means when energized being operable to move said blade intoengagement with said bar to stop said loom.

3. A loom having mechanical stop motion means comprising a plurality oftoothed bars one of which reciprocates relative to another operative tostop said loom when said relative reciprocation is stopped and a bobbinchang ing mechanism including a vertically arranged magazine for holdinga supply of reserve bobbins, the combination therewith of a source ofelectrical power, a solenoid, a blade positioned adjacent said bars andconnected to said solenoid whereby said solenoid when energized movessaid blade between the teeth on said bars to stop the relativereciprocation thereof, said solenoid when deenergized being operable toremove said blade from said teeth, electrically energized signallingmeans, a first bobbin detecting means in the path of travel of bobbinsin said magazine for completing an electrical circuit from said sourceof power to said signalling means when the supply of bobbins in saidmagazine is depleted to a first predetermined amount, a second bobbindetecting means in the path of travel of said bobbins for completing anelectrical circuit from said source of power to said solenoid when thesupply of bobbins in said magazine is depleted to a second predeterminedamount.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 23,107 of 1907Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A LOM HAVING A MECHANICAL STOP MOTION MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITYOF TOOTHED BARS ONE OF WHICH RECIPROCATES RELATIVE TO ANOTHER OPERATIVETO STOP SAID LOOM WHEN SAID RELATIVE RECIPROCATION IS STOPPED AND ABOBBIN CHANGING MECHANISM INCLUDING A VERTICALLY ARRANGED MAGAZINE FORHOLDING A SUPPLY OF RESERVE BOBBINS, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF ASOURCE OF ELECTRICAL POWER, A SOLENOID, A BLADE POSITIONED ADJACENT AIDBARS AND CONNECTED TO SAID SOLENOID WHEREBY SAID SOLENOID WHEN ENERGIZEDMOVES SAID BLADE BETWEEN THE TEETH ON SAID BARS TO STOP THE RELATIVERECIPROCATION THEREOF, SAID SOLENOID WHEN DEENERGIZED BEING OPERABLE TOREMOVE SAID BLADE FROM SAID TEETH, AND MEANS IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL OFBOBBINS IN SAID MAGAZINE FOR COMPLETING AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT FROM SAIDSOURCE OF POWER TO SAID SOLENOID WHEN THE SUPPLY OF BOBBINS IN SAIDMAGAZINE IS DEPLETED TO A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT.